The invention refers to a new plant variety of plum tree (Prunus salicina) named ‘Polaris’. The new Prunus variety is product of a planned and controlled breeding program for new Prunus varieties. The objective of the breeding program is to select new high quality Prunus varieties with good production and outstanding eating quality
The new Prunus variety was obtained through an open pollinated cross, in which the seed and pollen parent are both unknown. Seedlings of the population were planted on own root in 1999. The first fruit of ‘Polaris’ was observed in 2003 from a seedling tree. Buds from the seedling were retrieved and asexually reproduced by top-grafting/budding onto rootstock of ‘Marianna 1929’ in Clanwilliam, Western Cape, South Africa. Five trees were produced as second generation trees in 2005. Fruit from the second generation trees was first observed in 2008. ‘Polaris’ was selected in 2009 after the second fruit crop from the second generation trees for further development because of the unique fruit quality traits observed over the two seasons consecutively.